Near Nature

How many centuries were needed for the monsoons to carve a hole in the sandstone with such a lovely shape?
Many Pools canyon, Zion National Park, Utah

Dahlias do their impression of fireworks exploding during singing of the National Anthem.

White House Orchard, Hood River, Oregon

Golden rays of sunset give eerie illumination to the shapes of the playa.

Alvord Desert, Oregon

A bed of daisies greet the sunrise in Sisters, Oregon.

The cold waters of the Deschutes River dance as they plunge over Sherar Falls, site of the first Native American bridge across the river.

A day of freezing fog preceded my hike along Tumalo Creek. As I approached the creek, I felt great anticipation-what would I find? Suddenly the sun chased away the fog, revealing hoar frost sculptures to behold.

Lichen makes an abstract natural painting that only nature’s finest artist could achieve.

Columnar basalt at Wright’s Point, south of Burns, Oregon. A lava flow that filled in a river valley, whose sides later eroded away, exposing the lava flow.

A Yellow Warbler warbles during spring.

Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters, Oregon

The playa is vast, but there is another world at our feet. This shrunken block appears to mimic the shape of Oregon.

Sunrise, Alvord Desert, Oregon

Textural collage of a Ponderosa Pine tree, after a snow storm.
Near the base of Black Butte, near Sisters, Oregon

Wildflowers flourish on a tiny island in the middle of Park Creek.
Three Sisters Wilderness

A single yellow tulip bravely invades a field of red at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm.

A grove of young aspens glows brightly in the late afternoon sun on Hart Mountain

Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge

The natural forces have a sense of humor in carving this profile of a dog’s head, and lichen paints the accents.
See if you can find this sculpture while exploring the South Steens Road, Steens Mountain, Oregon.